Misadventures of a Blind Pidge
by Griffin Stone
Summary: (Takes place between chapters 5 and 6 of I Don't See You.) Never one to let a little thing -like, you know, blindness- slow her down, Pidge will continue to have wild adventures, both on and off the Castle. Complete (for now)
1. The Nose Knows

**A/N: Note! If you haven't read _I Don't See You_ , this will be slightly confusing!**

 **Taking place between chapters _Through a Lion's Eyes_ and _(Not)In Plain Sight,_ this story will be a lot of Pidge adjusting to her blindness. Primarily humor and fluff, I may throw in a bit of angst every now and again.**

 **I'm totally open to suggestions!**

* * *

Pidge strode easily down the hall, mentally counting steps. She turned at an intersection, reaching out with one hand to brush the wall and ensure she had turned at the proper time.

Hearing soft, slow footsteps ahead, Pidge greeted, "Hey, Keith."

The steps stopped, so Pidge did as well. She reached up and flicked on the EVOR, giving her a basic view of the surroundings.

"We're coming up on a planet that Coran says has spices and edible plants. Hunk wants to stop and pick some stuff up."

"Inhabited?" Pidge asked.

"No. I don't think Shiro's ready for that yet."

Pidge smirked. Despite Shiro's "encouragement" to get Pidge flying Green again two weeks before, he still didn't seem to think she was ready to be in places with a chance of running into Galra.

"Are we all going?" Pidge asked.

The shape of Keith's shoulders blurred, meaning he had shrugged. "If you want to."

"Yes! I need the practice navigating in new places, anyway," Pidge said enthusiastically.

Keith chuckled. "Okay, but don't stand within a hundred feet of anything steeper than a small hill, or Shiro will freak out."

Pidge laughed. "Got it."

Pidge and Keith went to their lions' hangers. Pidge sighed in relief as she sat in the pilot chair and turned off the EVOR. She opened her mind to Green, and images of the hanger and widening view of outdoors as the hanger doors opened flooded her mind.

Pidge flew Green outside, drinking in the view of the lush, meadowy planet Coran had directed them to. She could see the paladins wandering around down below, but decided to fly Green for a bit longer.

Green hovered at the height of the top of the Castle. The planet was mostly flat and grassy, with the occasional clump of trees and bushes. Small animals wandered through the grass. A deer-like animal lifted its branchy head -the antlers much more leaves than anything remotely normal- to gaze serenely at the paladins before going back to grazing.

After several more minutes, Pidge was ready to land. Finding the flattest spot near the others, Pidge landed Green.

Pidge gave a small sigh as she stood and turned on the EVOR. In order for the EVOR to keep up, Pidge had walk slower than she preferred.

"Hey, Pidge!" Lance called as Pidge emerged from Green's mouth.

His quick steps sort of skipped over, and Lance's form appeared in front of her a moment later. Then something tickled Pidge's nose, making her sneeze.

"Oops, sorry." The tickling disappeared. "I just wanted to show you what Hunk found."

Pidge sniffed. "Is that… coco?"

"Yep," Lance said happily. "But it's a _green_ plant. Coran says we can use it to make tea. Can you imagine, Pidge? Chocolate tea!"

"Are you sure you want to try something that Coran suggests?" Pidge asked with a grin.

"Hm, you're right. Maybe I can convince Keith to be the guinea pig."

Lance was gone again before Pidge could respond. Shaking her head, Pidge made her way over to where Shiro was sitting on the ground near Hunk.

"Pidge," Shiro said.

"Hey." Pidge sat down beside Shiro. She turned her head toward Hunk, who was moving around too fast for her to see what he was doing. "What's Hunk doing?"

"Harvesting." Shiro said. "He said a lot of the plants here smell like Earth herbs."

"I can't wait to try these," Hunk said excitedly. "This is thyme here, and this has a garlicy scent that I hope transfers to food."

"Only you could get so excited over plants," Pidge said.

"When you taste real food for the first time in space, you will appreciate these 'plants' as well," Hunk said with a superior sniff.

"Whatever, I'll leave the plant gathering to you," Pidge said, standing.

"Don't wander too far off," Shiro said.

"I won't, don't worry," Pidge said, waving her hand at Shiro.

Hearing Allura and Coran speaking, Pidge wandered over to them. Allura was seated on the ground. She was working on something in her lap, occasionally reaching out a hand to pluck some flowers before going back to her project. Coran was standing quite properly behind her. He was wearing… a flower crown?

"Coran, what are you wearing?" Pidge asked with a grin.

"A flower tiara," Coran said, as if that were perfectly normal.

Allura's dressed rustled, then something light was dropped on Pidge's head. She reached up and felt soft flower petals.

"Really, Allura?" Pidge asked.

"It has been over ten thousand years since I made one of these," Allura said with a smile in her voice.

Pidge sighed, but indulged Allura by not removing the "tiara." She did, however, move on, before Allura could try any new flower accessories.

Pidge wandered through the field, making sure to move slowly so the EVOR could keep up. She glanced back, and was surprised to see that the paladins and lions some distance away now.

"Better head back before anyone worries," Pidge murmured to herself.

"Nah, Shiro's been watching you the whole time."

Pidge jumped and spun toward Keith's voice. His form stood from where he had been sitting in front of a bush. Something dangled around his neck that hadn't been there before.

"Allura got to you, too, huh?" Keith asked.

Pidge cocked her head, then raised a hand to the flower tiara. "Yeah. Wait, 'too?'"

"What, you think I normally wear flower necklaces?"

"How did she convince you to wear that?" Pidge asked with a giggle. "Threaten to get sentimental on you?"

"She started talking about how she used to make these as a little girl on Altae," Keith said. "It seemed wrong to take it off after that. No matter how… flowery it is."

Pidge grinned, then changed the subject. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

"Same as everyone else. Picking flowers."

Pidge plopped onto the ground. "Don't let Hunk hear you call his herbs flowers."

Pidge reached out a hand, closing it on the first plant it came in contact with. She plucked the plant and brought it up to her nose to smell.

"Pepperminty," Pidge commented. "This would make some good tea." Pidge reached for another plant to take a sniff of. "Hm, spearmint."

"There's a difference?" Keith asked.

"Uh, yeah! How could you not know that? Don't tell me you haven't had gum before!"

"I have!" Keith said defensively. Lower, he added, "I just thought that they were the same flavor with a different color."

"Oh, wow, I have to tell Hunk!" Pidge stood and yelled, "Hey, Hunk!"

"Could we not?" Keith huffed.

Grinning smugly, Pidge went on, "You'll never guess what I found out!"

"Pidge!"


	2. Power Outage

Pidge was in her room, tinkering by feel with a small winch. Hunk had found it in the hold, and it was somehow stuck. Pidge had begged it off of him, finally getting her wish as there wasn't any potentially electrical parts to stick a screwdriver into and electrocute herself.

Feeling around on of the gears, Pidge's fingers encountered something poking out that she was pretty sure wasn't supposed to be there. Further investigation found her guess to be right, so she picked the object out.

Pidge felt around beside her until she found a bit of rope. She wound it into place, then gave a tug. To her delight, there was no resistance as she pulled the rope through the winch.

Pidge grinned as she stood. Wait until the others saw this!

A crackling from above gave Pidge pause. She cocked her head in that direction. It sounded like it had come from the intercom, but there was no follow-up. Shrugging, Pidge started for the door again, when there was a crash and following scream from the hall.

"Coran!?" came Lance's voice.

Pidge opened the door and switched on her EVOR. A quick check of the hall found the blurry form of Lance standing up.

"Lance, did you seriously just run into a wall?" Pidge asked in disbelief.

Lance spluttered for a bit, arms gesturing wildly for a moment before he answered, "Isn't it obvious?!"

"I'm gonna take that as a yes?"

"Pidge," Lance wailed. "The lights are all out! I can't see a thing."

"What a shame," Pidge dead-panned.

Pidge was able to pin-point the exact moment Lance remembered her blindness. He abruptly stopped moving long enough for his shape to take proper form.

Pidge expected him to start spouting apologies like the others always did when they forgot, but instead, he stumbled over in her direction. Arms out, he hit the wall a couple feet to Pidge's left.

"I'm over here," Pidge offered.

Lance felt his way to Pidge, found her shoulders, then pulled her into the hall so he stood behind her with his hands still on her shoulders.

"Onward," Lance proclaimed.

"What?"

"You know the way to the bridge from here, right? Of course, you do. I need to get there to properly complain to Coran. I think the coms are down."

Pidge snickered, feeling indulgent. "Okay, Lance, just hang on."

"Then, mush!"

"Don't tempt your seeing-eye 'dog' to bite you," Pidge said with a little growl.

"Um… please?" Lance amended.

Pacified, Pidge led the blue paladin through the halls. As they passed near the kitchen, there was a scrambling sound inside. Pidge paused, making Lance bump into her.

"We're in a dark, scary place," Lance whispered. "We don't investigate strange noises."

"Hey!"

Despite the voice from the kitchen being Hunk's, Lance must have jumped a foot in the air. He released Pidge's shoulders and tried to dart away.

Predictably, he hit another wall. He managed to stay upright this time, though he was wobbling around quite a bit.

"Lance, how many dents do you plan on leaving in the Castle walls before this is done?" Pidge asked.

"Lance, Pidge, is that you?" Hunk appeared in the doorway, keeping a hand on either side of the frame. "I lost power in the kitchen."  
"It's the same all the way to our rooms as well," Pidge said. "I'm taking Lance to the bridge."

"You could have worded it differently," Lance muttered nasally.

"You okay, Lance?" Hunk asked.

"He keeps getting spooked and running into walls," Pidge supplied before Lance could come up with some sort of tale of bravado.

"That could have been worded better as well," Lance complained.

"Hey, don't make me leave you here," Pidge threatened.

"That sounds like a good idea," Hunk said, before realizing how that sounded when Lance gave a protesting exclamation. "I mean, going to the bridge. I'm not sure if we have anything like flashlights around here, besides on our armor."

There was the sound of a face-palm, then Lance said, "I should've grabbed mine from my room before we left."

"Maybe Coran has something we can use," Hunk said. "Mind if I tag along with you guys?"

"Sure, take my shoulders," Lance said.

"Your shoulders?"

Pidge walked over to Lance and guided his hands to their former position as she answered, "It works pretty well."

Pidge led Lance over to Hunk, then Hunk took his shoulders. Then, the march resumed.

* * *

The trio reached the bridge without incident or encountering any other paladins. As they entered the bridge, Pidge could make out Allura, Coran, and Shiro turning to them.

"Yes, you have light!" Lance exclaimed.

Lance let go of Pidge and started to run past her, only to jerk to a stop with a startled yelp.

"Hunk, you can let go now," Lance said.

"Oh, sorry."

Lance resumed dashing past and up to Coran.

"Pidge, did you bring Lance and Hunk here?" Shiro asked, amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, well, not all of us can see in the dark," Pidge said.

"Coran, what's up with the lights," Lance's loud complaint cut in.

"Just a minor malfunction," Coran assured the teen. "I just have to head down to the engine room, and I'll have it fixed in two shakes of a Baku tail."

"We were just getting ready to search for the rest of you as well," Allura said. "Turning the power back on could have some… unintended consequences. When Altaen technology loses power abruptly, they can go out of control briefly while the systems reset."

"How out of control?" Pidge asked.

"Remember when the Castle was infected?" Allura asked. "Like that, but all at once, all over the Castle."

"Unless we want to go floating about, we'll have to be hanging on until our artificial gravity is back on," Coran said cheerfully.

"Do any of you know where Keith is?" Shiro asked.

"Training deck, probably," Hunk said.

"No, I just came from there," Shiro said.

Lance gave dramatic gasp. "You mean to tell me that Keith uses his free time for other things besides training?"

"Some other time, Lance," Shiro said. "Does anyone else know where he is?"

There was a round of "no"s from the others.

"We'd better find him before I fix the power," Coran said. "Wouldn't want him to be caught behind one of our electrical locking doors, or in one of the labs."

"Or the kitchen," Hunk said, drawing odd looks. "What? Do you know how traumatizing that experience was? Being attacked by food."

"I do have to agree," Pidge said.

"Try almost being sucked out of an airlock," Lance said, unimpressed.

"This isn't a competition," Shiro said. "Coran, how many flashlights do you have? And do you have some sort of communicator that doesn't depend on the Castle."

"Plenty of flashlights, and we do have Miniature Mobile Communicators - MM coms," Coran said.

Coran ducked behind his console and, after a moment of shuffling, reappeared with his arms full of tools he had pulled from who knew where.

Lance said, "Those look like walkie-talkies."

"And that sounds like made up words. I mean, really, what sort of name is _walkie-talkies_?"

"You can walk and talk with them," Lance said. "Besides, your name sounds like candy."

"It's still rather silly," Coran muttered as he handed out the lights and MM coms.

"Let's split up to search for Keith," Shiro said as he accepted the tools. "I doubt he went far. Coran and I can check the engine rooms."

"The mice and I will check the Crystal chamber," Allura said.

"I'll search the rooms," Lance said.

"I'll do check the lounge, then Lance and I can check the hold, if no one has found Keith yet," Hunk said.

"I search the hangers," Pidge said.

"Are you sure?" Shiro asked.

" _Shiro_ ," Pidge said dramatically. "I have an advantage over you all in this situation."

"Oh… right. Just-"

"Be careful, I know," Pidge said. She held a hand out to Coran. "Hand over a candy communicator."

Coran sputtered in offense, but gave her a com.

"Everyone ready?" Shiro asked. "Okay, let's go find him."

* * *

Pidge headed from the bridge, listening to the calls of the others fade away. She was glad when the only sounds she could hear were from herself. Given her disadvantage, the only way she would be able to discover Keith was by ear.

Pidge headed quietly down the the halls, alert for any sound, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Red was laying in her hanger, forelegs crossed in front of her. There was no sign of Keith, but there was a table knocked over, tools scattered across the floor.

Pidge cocked her head. Red's position was a somewhat familiar one to her, as the lions usually laid like that when penning in their paladins. And if the mess was any further indication…

"Keith?" Pidge tried.

"Pidge, is that you?" Keith's voice responded.

Pidge laughed. "Yeah. Everyone's looking for you."

"Does it have to do with the lights going out?"

"Yes. Coran going to fix it, but the systems are going to go haywire briefly. We're all going to wait on the bridge until it calms down."

"Great, sounds like a plan. You know, if _my lion wasn't holding me captive!_ "

Pidge barely managed to hold back a laugh. "What happened?"

"Red and I were just getting back from a flight when the lights went out. I don't have my armor with me, so I didn't have any light. I thought I could get back to the bridge but Red won't let me out," Keith explained.

"How many things did you knock over?"

"Not that much," Keith muttered. "Just a table… and I ran into a crate."

Now Pidge did laugh. "Well, I don't blame Red."

"Stop laughing, and just get me out already!"

"Did you try climbing over her paw?"

"Don't you think that would be the first thing I would try? Watch."

There was a bit of scuffling, then Red rumbled and tipped her head down between her paws. Keith gave a yelp, followed by a thud. Red rumbled again and separated her paws, revealing Keith sprawled on the ground. Red then stretched out a paw and laid it beside Pidge.

"I think she is entrusting me to your care," Keith said drily, staring up at Red's jaw. Abruptly, he sat up and exclaimed, "You could have done that sooner!"

"What?" Pidge asked as she got closer.

"Her eyes are glowing enough for me to see now," Keith grumped, standing.

"Well, it's still dark in the rest of the Castle," Pidge pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah." Keith looked Pidge up and down. "So… did you bring a flashlight or something for me?"

Pidge smacked a palm to her face. "Oh, I knew I had forgotten something!"

"Brilliant." Red started to move her paw, so Keith ran out of reach. "Any other ideas?"

"It's not rocket science," Pidge said with a laugh. She walked over to Keith and held out her hand. "I can lead you there."

Keith reached out and gripped Pidge's hand. "Not too fast, right?"

"Says the pilot of the fastest lion," Pidge kidded. But Keith had sounded genuinely uncertain, so Pidge nodded. "Okay, we'll go slow." She turned her head to Red, who was slowly returning to her normal position. "Don't worry. I'll take care of your paladin."

Pidge and Keith left the hanger, Red's purr echoing after them.


	3. Color Blind

**A/N: A goofy and really short chapter based on a suggestion by Astrispecto and a conversation I recently heard. This would actually take place before the other chapters, maybe a week after the training room incident.**

* * *

"It's red!"

"No, it's burgundy!"

"What is that? That's not a real color! You made it up!"

Pidge cocked her head at Keith and Lance's raised voices. They grew closer as the pair approached the lounge where she was sitting, then they stomped inside.

"Burgundy is so a color. And I know my colors," Lance snipped.

"Yes, well as the _red_ paladin, I think I know my reds," Keith retorted.

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Neither does burgundy!"

"What would you know about reds? You spent your life in a brown shack in a brown desert."

"Don't you get off topic. Trust me, it's red."

"Burgundy!"

"Want to bet on that?"

"Oh, are you sure you wanna do that?"

"Yes. I bet you a hundred dollars that it's red."

"You don't have a hundred dollars." Lance paused. "Do you?"

"I think the better question is: do you?"

Pidge turned her head back and forth between the voices. She was about to ask what exactly they were arguing over, when there was a scuffing sound, then Lance was talking to her.

"Pidge! Coran's been looking at old cloth in the Castle. We found this strip that I _know_ is burgundy, but Keith insists that it is red. Now! Which color is it?"

Pidge smirked up at Lance, blinking blindly at him. "Are you sure you want me to do that?"

Lance gave a gasp, but it wasn't one of realization. "So! You're on Keith's side, then? Well, we'll just have to go find Shiro."

"No, no!" Pidge protested, wondering how long she could keep this going. "I'll be impartial."

"It's red," Keith muttered.

"Nah, nah," Lance spouted. "No giving your opinion while Pidge is telling you how right I am. Now, what do you say, Pidge?"

Something soft dropped into Pidge's hands, and she pretended to study it. Neither boy was giving any indication of remembering her blindness.

"You know what color I'm seeing?" Pidge asked after a long moment in which Lance started shuffling his feet.

"What?" both boys demanded.

"Black." Pidge held up the cloth. "Plain and simple black."

There was a long moment of silence.

"What?" Lance said.

Keith gave a small chuckle. "Now _you're_ looking red."

"You... Don't..." Lance spluttered, then the cloth was snatched out of her hands. "I'm getting Shiro!"

Lance stomped out of the room. It was so quiet, that Pidge wondered if Keith had already left quietly. Then, Keith spoke in a low tone.

"Pretty sure it's red."

Pidge burst out laughing. After a moment, Keith joined in.


	4. Sensory Overload, Part 1

**A/N: Suggestion by Astrispecto**

 **Is it too early for an arc? I'm trying to keep the chapters between 1,000 and 2,000 words. It should be easy to keep the count low, as most of the stories will be goofy silliness.**

 **The aliens in this chapter will probably be the only non-canon characters in this story, and will make occasional appearances.**

* * *

Pidge was finding it very, very hard to keep a straight face. At least the EVOR hid her eyes, so Shiro wouldn't see the excited gleam that contrasted her slight frown.

Coran had called the paladins to the bridge, with plans for a new training exercise. Pidge had been understandably hesitant, though the plan was starting to sound more and more appealing.

First, because it would take place on a new planet. Second, it would also involve exploring said planet that Coran was only vaguely familiar with. Third, from the sound of it, there would be a lot of climbing, as the planet was full of trees whose branches had impressive lengths.

Shiro sounded like he thought it was a good idea, and Pidge now only had to make sure he didn't try to leave her behind.

"And there aren't any inhabitants?" Shiro asked, staring up at the holographic map Pidge couldn't see.

"There wasn't the last time I visited."

"Ten thousand years ago?" Lance asked drily.

"There's nothing on Trinix that the Galra would want. Just to build an outpost would take too much effort. There's too many trees!" Coran made an exaggerated motion that was probably his imitation of a tree.

"Yes, well…" Allura said, drawing back the attention of the amused paladins. "Navigating Trinix is a test of agility and flexibility. Just getting to the ground is complicated enough. You'll have to take the lions to the surface. According to the most recent studies of the planet, the tree canopy can easily hold their weight."

"Those are some serious trees," Lance said.

"Are there any edible flora?" Hunk asked eagerly.

"Not in the trees," Coran said, taking an invisible -to Pidge, at least- screen from Allura and swiping on it. "But the Trinixian ground fruit is considered a delicacy."

"Awesome," Hunk approved.

"We're going to… pick fruit and swing in trees?" Keith asked.

"No," Pidge said matter-of-the-factly. "We are going to train in our ability to navigate unfamiliar territory."

The others laughed, and Pidge silently considered that no one protested to her "we" as approval of her going.

* * *

An hour later, Pidge's guess proved correct as she piloted Green to the surface. The other lions flew alongside her. Allura and Coran were joining the expedition, with the Alteans riding with Shiro.

The lions landed in the canopy, causing a mass of birds to explode upward. Green shook them off, and hooked her paws around the impressively thick branches.

Pidge was always disappointed when she had to leave Green and rely on the EVOR and her other senses, but excitement over the new planet dulled it this time. She clattered to the edge of Green's mouth, then had to stop to just stare.

The ground was lost in the twisting myriad of branches that crossed and weaved together so tightly it was like a solid space. The EVOR could pick up the branches well, but Pidge knew that her new depth perception would be tested.

"Wow, just look at it!"

Lance's delighted cry brought Pidge's attention to where the blue paladin was jumping up and down in delight. Then he jerked a moment later with a startled shout, and Hunk beside him had to grab him as Lance started to fall off the branch.

"Lance!" Shiro called, having stood on a higher branch across from them.

"I got him!" Hunk said.

Pidge turned away from the others when she heard Keith call her name. She looked down and managed to pick out a shape below waving an arm.

"I'm coming down!"

Pidge leaped and activated her jetpack. She aimed for the branch beside Hunk and Lance. Slightly mistiming, she landed sooner than she expected and felt her feet slip. A strong hand caught her arm, steadying her. She nodded to Hunk in thanks, then turned and jumped again. This time, she managed to time it right and landed with barely a stumble beside Keith.

"I've been plotting a path down," Keith said, while he reached out to help steady Pidge. "We're a couple hundred feet above the ground, by the way."

Pidge whistled. "Long way to fall if you slip."

"So don't."

Before Pidge could respond, Keith had leaped away with a challenge of, "Race you!"

"Oh, it is on!"

Pidge crouched and swung to a lower branch, where she launched off like a cat. She activated her jetpack to allow her to cross to a lower branch, and landed on all fours. She scrambled to another branch and leaped in the same manner. She had to pause between each leap to let the EVOR catch up, but she still moved at a rapid pace.

At one point, she passed Keith standing on a branch with no clear path to go down. She laughed and waved cockily as she landed, then was moving yet again.

Pidge estimated that she had made a couple hundred feet closer to the ground when she paused for breath. She looked up to check on the others.

Something blurred across the open air too quickly to make out, but Pidge guessed it to be Keith or Shiro. She could hear that the most of the other paladins had joined in the race. It sounded like Hunk was further up, investigating the branches with Coran. Lance's boasting at his speed was occasionally cut off by a protest to Allura apparently passing him. She could make out Keith's panting, but Shiro was silent.

Grinning at the realization that she was still ahead of the others, Pidge crouched and focused on a branch below. Just before she leaped, the image blurred, briefly showing the branch ten feet to the left. Pidge flinched, and the image returned to normal. She blinked and stared. But the image didn't change, and a shout alerted her to Keith's approach.

Shaking off the confusion, Pidge focused on a new branch. Taking only a second, she leaped and activated her jetpack. She moved slow enough that the EVOR could keep up fairly well, but it still drew a confused grunt when the image of the branch shifted several feet down.

"What?!" Pidge yelped.

She deactivated her jetpack, prepared to tuck and roll when she hit the branch, only for the image to flicker back to its original position. She reached quickly out. Her fingers brushed the branch, and she continued to fall.

Pidge didn't panic. This wasn't the first time she had fallen since going blind, and she had plenty of times even before she went blind. All she had to do was activate her jetpack and hover long enough to find a safe place to land.

Pidge angled her feet to straighten her body while she activated the jetpack. There was a small blast as the jetpack opened, but it only had a chance to slow Pidge before she felt a sharp impact in her legs.

Unable to stop herself, Pidge crashed onto what was probably another branch. She tried to tuck and roll to minimize injury, only to roll straight off the branch. Pidge only had a moment to realize she was in free fall before landing smack on her back on another branch, knocking away what little breath she had.

"Pidge!" Shiro shouted, finally noticing her plight.

Pidge groaned and turned her head. For a second, the images that had jumbled in the fall finally steadied. A couple of distant shapes were climbing down to her.

In the next moment, the images blurred again. Something large loomed up in front of her, drawing a startled shout from Pidge. She flinched away, and felt herself sliding off the branch again.

Then hands grabbed her under the shoulders and hauled her up. She was placed on her feet for a second by the shape in front of her, then an arm wrapped around her middle and she was swept into the air.

Instinctively, Pidge grabbed onto whoever was holding her. It took only a second to realize she hadn't been rescued by one of the others.

The arm around her was thick and too smooth. As the stranger landed and leaped from branch to branch, there wasn't any sound of breathing or exertion. Once, when the stranger landed, a hand was briefly steadying her back, and Pidge felt what she was sure was claws.

"Let me go!" Pidge yelled, summoning her bayard.

Before she could swing, something thick and strong wrapped around her wrist. Her arm was stuck in a raised position, not that she would have had room to swing the staff.

The stranger halted and set Pidge on a thick branch. As soon as she was released, she leaped backwards. Too late, she remembered where she was.

Finding only open air behind her, Pidge jerked her foot forward. A hand grabbed her wrist and jerked her back to solid wood, and promptly let go. Pidge didn't move this time, giving the EVOR time to catch up. The images were still unsteady and switched sometimes, but it was enough to give Pidge an idea of the surroundings.

They were in an unfamiliar section of the trees, and Pidge couldn't hear the others. While the EVOR didn't pick of details, Pidge could see the stranger in front of her vaguely.

It was humanoid, and a bit taller than Shiro. There weren't any details on its head beside what was probably a hood. Its clothes were loose and Pidge thought they looked ragged. An additional appendage soon became clear to be a tail slightly coiled around the branch.

Oh, and there were five others standing around.

Pidge promptly formed her staff and held it ready in front of her. The figures backed away, and the one that had grabbed her raised empty hands.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Pidge demanded.

" _My name is Nantuck. We are friends."_

If Pidge hadn't already fallen from the branches so many times, she would have taken a step back. The stranger hadn't spoken, at least not verbally. The words had seamlessly entered Pidge's mind, smooth and natural.

"How did you do that? What are you doing?"

" _I am communicating telepathically. I am talking directly to your mind."_

 __"Okay, kinda cool, but creepy. Stop."

There was a funny sensation, and Pidge realized that Nantuck was laughing. " _I cannot, small one. You see, the Nin-Zahar don't have mouths."_

Pidge blinked and stared. Nantuck's face _did_ seem rather flat, but it was kind of hard with the EVOR's images constant flickering. She lowered the staff slowly, since none of the strangers showed any inclination of attacking.

"How are you doing that?" Pidge asked. It didn't feel invasive at all. Almost like when Green shared feelings, but slightly more foreign.

Nantuck shrugged. " _It is the Nin-Zahar way."_

There was that laughing sensation again, then a different voice asked, " _How else do you expect us to communicate?"_

"Um… I don't know. Sign language?" Pidge thought for a moment. "Maybe it's a good thing that you don't. I wouldn't be able to understand a word."

Nantuck had started to talk again, when there was an audible shout.

"Pidge!"

Pidge turned in relief, though the EVOR started to act even worse than ever, throwing her off balance. Nantuck swiftly stepped forward and steadied her before grabbing her around the middle again. Two of his companions leaped away, in the opposite direction of Shiro's shout.

" _Don't worry, we'll make a quick escape."_

* * *

 **A/N: The logic behind the EVOR messing up is probably so inaccurate, it will be painful for the mechanically minded.**


	5. Sensory Overload, Part 2

**A/N: Who's excited for June 15th?! I am!**

 **It took me too long to make this boring chapter... blame my sudden desire to read any manga I can find and two kittens begging for attention.**

 **After this, chapters will probably be much longer between, as I will work on this secondary to all my other stories.**

* * *

It took Pidge a second to realize what Nantuck meant. "No, no, why are you running from them?"

Nantuck paused. " _They were chasing you. Are they not your enemy?"_

This time, it was Pidge laughing. "We were having a race. I just happened to be in the lead."

" _Oh."_ The single syllable was full of embarrassment.

"It's okay. Just put me down, and I'll let them know everything is fine." Nantuck obliged, and Pidge began to wave in the direction of Shiro's voice. "Down here! It's okay!"

Rustling leaves alerted Pidge as to when the others were close. The EVOR was so bad by now -images constantly shifting back and forth- that Pidge gave up and turned it off, relying on her ears to tell her when the other paladins arrived.

"Pidge, you-" Shiro's words halted. "Oh, hello. We didn't realize anyone else was here." His voice sounded uncertain to Pidge.

" _I do believe we frighten your friend,"_ Nantuck said in amusement.

Pidge chuckled. "I don't think you're that scary."

"Shiro, did you find Pidge?" Keith's question was accompanied by a thump as he landed on the branch.

"Yep. I'm right here." Pidge waved a hand. "I fell, but Nantuck here caught me. He thought you were Galra, but it's all okay now."

" _Galra? No, we may be blind, but none of your companions have features close to the Galra,"_ Nantuck said.

"You're blind?"

"Pidge… who are you talking to?" Shiro asked.

Rather than try to explain, Pidge cocked her head toward Nantuck and gestured to Shiro and Keith. "Care to include them?"

Pidge didn't miss the small gasps a second later, as Shiro and Keith experienced the telepathic speech.

"How…" Shiro trailed off as Nantuck answered.

" _It is how we are. We might as well ask why you have eyes and a mouth, and not us."_

"True. Well, I'm Shiro and this is Keith. We are paladins of Voltron."

A pleased buzz filled Pidge's head. " _Paladins of Voltron. We have heard of them."_

"Hey, guys, who're you- woah!" A shout and a thud announced Lance's arrival.

"Smooth," Pidge said.

"Lance, you okay?" asked Hunk's voice from above.

"Oh, I didn't think this planet was inhabited," said Allura from near Hunk.

"It isn't!" Coran said. After a second, he added, "Well, it wasn't."

"Come down here," Shiro said before Coran could go on.

A few minutes later, everyone had gathered around the Nin-Zahar. Nantuck had introduced his companions as Ninar, Neva, and Niv. Nova and Nebula, the pair that had first run off, hadn't returned yet.

" _My little brothers are so skittish,"_ Neva said. Pidge thought her voice sounded female.

" _They have never met anyone outside the Nin-Zahar. The last visitor we had was Shar, and they weren't born until after he left,"_ said Ninar, who had an older, female voice.

" _Yeah, little sister. You were the same way when you were their age. You ran from Shar, remember?"_

" _Nantuck!"_ Neva protested.

" _Nantuck, don't tease your sister in front of guests,"_ said Niv. He had a rumbly voice.

Pidge raised her eyebrows, just realizing that the Nin-Zahar group must have been a family. It made sense, of course, but the paladins so rarely came across a family group like this.

" _I'm sorry you have to listen to this,"_ Ninar said.

Shiro laughed. "It's alright. It's… refreshing to come across an inhabited planet that haven't suffered under the Galra."

" _Ah, not this generation,"_ Niv said.

"I'm sorry?" Allura asked.

For a moment, no one responded. Finally, Ninar spoke up.

" _We don't usually discuss it, but seeing as how you are the paladins of Voltron… you are undoubtedly curious about our presence here."_

"So the Nin-Zahar haven't always been here, then," Coran said.

" _No. Come. We will take you to Nemead, the keeper of our history."_

Everyone agreed eagerly. Sensing everyone was about to leave, Pidge quickly reached out. Her hand found someone's arm, and she grabbed on.

"Pidge?" Pidge was relieved to hear it was Keith she had grabbed.

"The EVOR is malfunctioning. I can't see anything," Pidge said quietly.

"How far away is it to Nemead?" Shiro asked.

" _Half a varga, if we stick to the trees,"_ Nantuck said.

"I don't get what could be wrong," Hunk said. He stepped closer, and Pidge allowed him to take the EVOR. "Everything's intact. It just started malfunctioning?"

"Yeah. Just before Nantuck showed up."

"Hm… Hey, Nantuck, how do the Nin-Zahar see their surroundings?"

" _Our word for it would be meaningless to you, but aliens of other planets have compared it to… echolocation, I believe."_

"That would be the problem, then. The EVOR uses echolocation as well."

Pidge raised her eyebrows. "So the EVOR is picking up the echoes of the Nin-Zahar?"

"Yep. The receiver is too sensitive to be around other echolocation sources, but that's an easy enough fix. I'll just set it to a new frequency."

"How long will that take?" Shiro asked.

"Um… a varga, maybe two?"

" _It will be dark by then,"_ Niv said.

"How would you know?"

"Lance!" Shiro scolded.

"Hey, someone had to ask!"

" _It is an honest question,"_ Ninar said. " _We learned of the planet's daily cycles during Shar's time here."_

Pidge was getting really curious on who "Shar" was, but didn't ask. She figured that when they met Nemead, Shar would be explained as well.

"In that case, I think it is best that we head back to the Castle," Allura said. "Niv, could we come back when it is light to speak with Nemead?"

" _Of course! We are glad to have visitors, and the others will be too."_

" _I'll meet you here in the morning,"_ Nantuck offered. " _And take you the rest of the way."_

"Thank you, that would be appreciated," Allura said.

" _Would you like assistance getting back to your ship?"_ Nantuck asked.

"Our lions are nearby. Once we get to the treetops, we should be able to see them," Shiro said.

Pidge tipped her head back. "That is going to be a long climb."

" _Let me help."_

Before Pidge could ask Nantuck what he meant, a tail wrapped firmly around her middle. She was lifted up and pressed to Nantuck's back, where she quickly grabbed Nantuck's shoulders.

" _Got a good grip?"_

"Y-yeah," Pidge stammered, slightly surprised by the act.

" _Good. We'll be at the tops soon, so don't let go!"_

Pidge tightened her hold, then Nantuck was off. Wind rushed through Pidge's hair as Nantuck's speed, and she could hear the others exclaim when he took off. The occasional branch brushed Pidge's hair, but Nantuck made sure she didn't fully hit anything. His tail was coiled against her back, steadying her for each leap.

It wasn't long before Nantuck halted. Pidge tipped her head back and felt the sun on her face. From somewhere to the left, she thought she heard a rumble from Green.

" _Are those your lions?"_ Nantuck asked, turning to the left.

"Yes. I ride in the green one." Pidge flushed when she remembered that Nantuck could not see the Lions' colors.

" _Ah, the one see eager for you to go to her?_ _She is beautiful."_

Pidge looked down. Green was still some distance away. Nin-Zahar "sight" must have been much better than the EVOR if he could see Green, much less make out any details!

Unless Nantuck was pretending. Pidge was pretty sure he wasn't, though.

Pidge heard rustling as the others approached and climbed up beside Nantuck. The Nin-Zahar carefully lowered Pidge, then one of the others put a hand on her shoulder.

"I've never seen someone move so fast without a jetpack!" Lance exclaimed, puffing from the climb.

" _I've been doing this since I could crawl."_ Nantuck sounded proud at the compliment. " _Now, I have to go. I need to get to the village before it gets dark, or my family will worry."_

"Thanks for the ride," Pidge said, beaming at Nantuck.

" _Anytime, little one."_

A hand ruffled Pidge's hair, then Nantuck was gone with the slightest of rustles.

* * *

 **A/N: I love characters calling Pidge "little one," even though its never done canonly.**

 **This is the last part of the arc, but the next chapter will be the paladins visiting the Nin-Zahar village and learning their history.**


	6. Meeting the Nin-Zahar

**A/N: -distant author grumbling- Rinky-dinky little chapter where not much happens, but was needed to connect the _Sensory Overload_ and _Nemead's Tale_ chapters. I've found that my shorter chapters seem to fly better with my readers, anyway.**

 **Also, if you haven't seen the announcement on my profile, one more chapter of the _Misadventures_ , then a hiatus that may become permanent.**

* * *

Pidge was a bundle of excitement as everyone climbed into Green to head to the surface. Shiro had already told her three times to calm down, and Coran had very seriously asked if she had gotten into the sugar substitute Hunk had whipped up a few planets back. Even when they landed and headed out, she was bouncing on her toes. Keith put his hands on her shoulders, as if making an effort to keep her feet on the ground.

Pidge wasn't totally sure she knew why she was so excited. This wasn't the first new planet they had explored. The flora -as she saw through Green's eyes- wasn't anything spectacular beyond the unnatural size.

It was the aliens, she supposed. Like her, they were blind. They had learned to adapt, as she had. They lived normal lives, like Pidge hoped she someday could.

Nantuck bounded into view when the team walked out of Green. Pidge bounced on her toes, and Keith's grip became more firm as he guided her across the branches. Once they were close to Nantuck, he let her go. Pidge felt Nantuck's tail trail across her heels while she took the final steps.

" _Welcome back, little one,"_ Nantuck said. His telepathic voice raised as he included the others. " _I'm glad you could come visit. The whole village has been so excited to have visitors."_ Nantuck turned and crouched. " _We mustn't keep them waiting. I will give you a ride, if you like."_

Pidge was pretty sure her face would crack if she didn't stop smiling so hard, but couldn't stop herself. She clambered onto Nantuck's back, feeling his tail steady her.

" _Ready?"_

"Yep!"

Nantuck shifted, then dropped through the branches. The rest of the team shouted in alarm, but Nantuck called up they were fine.

Pidge tipped her head up while Nantuck paused. She just had time to make out the others break through the leaves, then everything blurred as Nantuck leaped into motion. It felt like he was moving slower than the previous evening, probably so the others could keep up.

Pidge guessed nearly an hour passed before Nantuck come to a complete stop. Keith was the first one to catch up. Shiro had been staying close to Allura and Coran -both had mini-jetpacks from the Castle and the former had on her space suit to make navigating the trees easier- and the trio arrived a minute later. Lance and Hunk were last to arrive, breathing heavier than the others had.

"What took you so long?" Pidge demanded.

"Well… excuse me… for not having a ride!" Lance protested.

Pidge smirked and nodded her head, letting Lance have that point. Everyone chuckled as the blue paladin dramatically sucked in a huge breath, then asked why they were just standing around.

Nantuck reached out and swept back a branch. " _Welcome to my village."_

The paladins exclaimed in wonder. Pidge frowned over Nantuck's shoulder, too far away for the EVOR to pick up any details. All she saw was boxy shapes in the trees.

Lance gave a delighted squeal. "You live in _treehouses?!_ That is the coolest thing ever!"

Before the last word was even out of him mouth, Lance had rushed forward. The others followed, with Nantuck carrying Pidge right up to one of the buildings, where she could finally see other Nin-Zahar gathered.

Lance was moving quickly through the Nin-Zahar, acting like he had known them for years. In moments, he was surrounded by the smallest of the Nin-Zahar. He had already managed to get ahold of a baby Nin-Zahar, and was cooing in delight over her.

Nantuck ran through rapid introductions, and Pidge soon gave up trying to remember who was who. Aside from the slight differences in their telepathic voices, there was really no way to tell them apart for Pidge. She wondered how _they_ kept themselves organized.

By the time introductions had finished, Pidge found some of her companions had already left. Lance was off and playing with the younger Nin-Zahar in the trees, Hunk had wanted to see where they gathered food, and Allura had been pulled away by some of the Nin-Zahar with teenager-like personalities who were curious about space. When Shiro expressed curiosity about the structures, Niv had eagerly led him away. Now, Pidge was left with just Keith and Coran.

"How long have the Nin-Zahar been on this planet?" Coran asked as the remaining Nin-Zahar went back to their work.

" _Nemead's grandfather was a child when the Nin-Zahar first arrived here. Before that, Nemead says that five generations passed since the Nin-Zahar were stolen from their home. There are no stories of our old planet left,"_ Nantuck said. " _But, Nemead explains it better. Would you like to see him now?"_

"Very much," Coran said.

" _Then I will bring you to him. Pidge, Keith, do you wish to come, or stay here with the others?"_

"I'll go with you," Pidge said. She wasn't usually much on history, but she was curious about the blind aliens.

Keith didn't respond out loud, but he did put a hand on Pidge's shoulder to help guide her. Pidge gave him a long-suffering grin.

While Nantuck led and Keith insisted on helping guide her, Pidge took in the village.

Like Lance had said, the Nin-Zahar lived in treehouses. From what Pidge could tell, there were multiple levels to the village, with sturdy ladders leading up and down. Solid fences with no gaps ringed most of the walkways, each coming up to Pidge's shoulder.

Nantuck led them up three levels before reaching a wide open space. Pidge glanced around; large spaces made her nervous since she couldn't find the borders.

"It's like a clearing _inside_ the trees," Keith said, his voice low in awe. "The branches are making a natural roof, but there is still light in here."

Pidge cocked her head, trying to imagine what Keith was describing while they continued to follow Nantuck into the space. Soon, another Nin-Zahar came into view, seated on a bench on the far side of the space.

" _Nemead! I have brought the visitors,"_ Nantuck said. " _This is Pidge, Keith, and Coran."_

Nantuck went to Nemead's side, then waved the others over. Coran stepped up and gave an elaborate bow. Pidge hesitantly gave a bow, and felt Keith do the same.

" _Up! Up! No one bows to the Nin-Zahar, and the Nin-Zahar bow to no one,"_ said Nemead, his voice fierce but slow and quiet.

"Oh, er, I didn't mean to offend you," Coran said.

" _Once the Nin-Zahar divided themselves by wealth or power. Since we lost our planet, we have learned there is much more important things to worry about than who to bow to,"_ Nemead said. He sounded as though he was smiling at the advisor. " _Nantuck said you wanted to hear the Nan-Tuck's history?"_

"Yes. In the past, this planet had no population. I am curious on how you got here," Coran said.

" _Sit."_

Pidge felt something press against the back of her knees, and turned to find Nantuck had pushed a bench behind them while Nemead had been talking. Once he had the bench in place, he hurried over to sit on the bench beside Nemead. Pidge, Keith, and Coran all eagerly took a seat.


	7. Nemead's Tale

**A/N: Good news everybody! I'll be staying in the Voltron fandom! -squeaky party horn- In a couple of weeks (or whenever _Stayin' Alive_ is listed as complete) I will have an explanation of what happened on my profile. If you so desire for me to be serious for a few minutes...**

 **This means _Misadventures_ will continue on with its haphazard schedule. This chapter marks the end of _this_ visit to the Nin-Zahar. **

* * *

" _Little knowledge remains of the Nin-Zahar's first planet. Grandfather, though he never saw it, said that our planet was like what other races would call a desert."  
_ " _Sand, as far as the seeing eye could see. There was the occasional mountain or boulder, but primarily sand. The Nin-Zahar don't eat, as you could probably guess, but we do absorb nutrients from the sands through our skin. We bred Nons, whose fluffy fur we used for clothes and weaving tents. It was a simple life."_

" _There aren't any stories from when the Galra came. Everyone just wished they could forget the Galra away…"_

" _For five generations, the Nin-Zahar worked in mines filled with a dangerous gas. Since we do not breathe like most races, the gas didn't kill us, and our sonar allowed us to 'see' without lights that could cause a spark to light the gas."_

" _The Nin-Zahar had relative freedom in the mines, since the Galra had few masks that made it safe for them to go below. But the mines were made of thick stone, and probes tracked their tunnels to prevent an escape tunnel from being dug."_

" _In the end, they escaped purely by accident. While expanding a tunnel, they broke into a large cavern. One of the Nin-Zahar dropped a pick just out of reach, on an unstable ledge. Knowing that if it fell, it could create a spark that would take out the whole tunnel, they all ran."_

" _The explosion was even bigger than any of them had guessed. They barely made it outside before the whole ground shook. The surface over the cavern collapsed in a massive sinkhole, and the surrounding tunnels were next."_

" _The whole camp was in chaos. The Nin-Zahar found a cargo ship and, somehow, launched it with the holo-screens that none of them could read. To say that they survived the flight was a miracle, would be an understatement. Still, when it came time to land on the first planet they came across, the ship was wrecked in these trees."_

" _The first quintants on the new planet was… difficult. By that generation, all they had known was the carved stone of the mines, which even the youngest slaves could navigate."_

" _Here, there were massive trees covering the whole surface. Explorations to the ground resulted in the scouting group getting lost for two quintants. Finally, they had to move on when the ship threatened to fall from the treetops."_

" _My grandfather told me stories about when the Nin-Zahar were learning about their new home. So many scouting trips went wrong before they started using vines to mark their explorations. They experienced rivers for the first time. Rivers are actually the main reason that they took to the trees."_

" _They eventually decided to pick a spot in the trees and stay there. They found some sections of the branches that were so tightly weaved, it was a solid platform. They made camp there, and learned to use broken branches and leaves to make walls and roofs when the weather got bad."_

" _All in all, this was a good planet for us. There were no Galra, few dangerous animals that are easily avoided by staying off the ground, and decent weather. Once they made up some rough huts, they felt better about their new home."_

" _By the time I was born, proper homes had been built and a territory had been established. I grew up on stories of the Nin-Zahar's first days here, while the stories of their slavery were allowed to fade."_

" _Galra hadn't been spotted since the Nin-Zahar escaped. We wanted to move on with our new lives. For a while, we were able to."_

" _Then, when Nantuck was five deco-phoebs old, a ship crashed near our village. We ran to investigate, and found a small fighter with one occupant. We rescued the pilot, who was unconscious, and brought him to the village."_

" _It was several quintants before the pilot awoke. We were all curious and a bit excited, but the stranger was… quite violent. He yelled and tried to hit us when we got close. From his angry shouts, we found out that he was something we had so willingly forgotten: a Galra."_

" _Those old enough to have heard the stories immediately fled. The rest were quick to follow, and we went to the treetops to figure out what to do next."_

" _Some wanted to just leave the village and make a home someplace else. Others wanted to stay and fight, though none of us knew how to. The strangest idea came from my granddaughter: Nina."_

" _Nina, who was a bit younger than Nantuck is now, suggested that we befriend the Galra. That way, we didn't have to leave or fight."_

" _Well, you can probably imagine how that went. Nina said no more about it, and we assumed that was the end of it."_

" _We eventually decided to check on the Galra and decide from there. He was as vicious as ever. Luckily, his wounds prevented him from coming after us. We spent the night on the treetops again, with some keeping watch in case the Galra came after us."_

" _Two quintants passed. All attempts to approach the Galra failed. Although he was obviously getting weaker, he refused to let any of us near. We all thought he would die."_

" _Then, on the morning of the third quintant, the hut that the Galra had been in was silent. When we finally dared to approach, we found that Nina was inside caring for the Galra!"_

" _He had become so bad, that he wasn't even aware of what was happening. Nina cared for him for two movements before he was finally coherent. And, not only had he recovered his health, his attitude had taken a turn for the better!"_

" _We soon learned that his name was Shar, and that he had been cut off from his fleet in battle. When he was well enough to leave, he requested to stay. Since he was so much better by that time, we all agreed."_

" _It was Shar who taught us how to tell the day from the night. He helped us explore the trees, since his long-distance sight was better than ours."_

" _Within a deca-pheob, Shar and Nina fell in love. They officially became mates, and everyone was happy for another deca-pheob."_

" _Nina was due to have their first child, when Shar got a message over his salvaged ship. There were Galra on a planet nearby, and they were charting the planets in the area. If they continued, we would be found."_

" _Shar quickly decided to go to the Galra. He would pretend that mapping that section was his job, and he had just been out of communication. It was risky, but he convinced us that it was our best shot of survival. We wouldn't be so lucky in finding another planet that we could live in peace."_

" _We weren't surprised to find that Nina wanted to go with Shar. With some discussion, Nina would go with our blessing. It wasn't so unusual for Galra to marry into another race, especially on solo missions like star charting."_

" _In less than a movement, they left. Nina's daughter was born in that time, and we were all upset for the family to leave. Shar promised they would return if at all possible, then they left."_

" _We… haven't seen them since."_

Nemead fell silent then, head bowing. Coran, who had transferred to his bench at some point in the story, laid a hand on Nemead's.

" _We haven't had visitors since then,"_ Nantuck said.

"Thank you for telling us," Coran said, solemn in a way that Pidge rarely heard.

" _Ah, the Nin-Zahar have spent enough time hidden away. It was time our story was told… I suppose you will soon move on? As you are fighting the Galra, I imagine you cannot stay long."_

"How do you even know about Voltron?" Keith asked. "Voltron only returned a few pheobs ago."

" _The story of Voltron was passed to the Nin-Zahar while in the slave mines. We never realized that Voltron had returned, but the name is familiar."_

"I am afraid that we will have to move on soon," Coran said regretfully. "But we would like to return some time, if it is alright with you."

" _We would love your company,"_ Nemead said. He slowly stood and motioned for the others to do so as well. " _Now, let us find your friends. The village spent all morning gathering fruit for a feast for you."_

"You're all so kind," Coran said, walking at Nemead's side.

"Maybe we could find Nina, Shar, and their child," Pidge said to Nantuck and Keith as they trailed the older pair.

" _I wish they would return. Nina was so kind, and Shar taught us so much. But… it has been fifteen deca-pheobs. If they haven't returned by now… we can only hope they are just staying away to protect us."_

"We may still find them," Keith said. "How many Galra and Nin-Zahar couples could there be out there?"

" _Not many,"_ Nantuck admitted.

"We'll keep an eye out," Pidge said. The sound of Lance calling her name briefly caught her attention as they rejoined the majority of the villagers, then she turned back to Nantuck. "What was their daughter's name? We'll watch for her, too."

Pidge was pulled away by Lance as he began a second round of introductions of the young Nin-Zahar. Pidge heard Nantuck laugh in her head, then he said the child's name.

" _Narti."_


End file.
